Northwest Services.

Spirit Of Song Has Long Reach

Church Choir's Cd Supports Charity Trip To Kentucky

The problems of the poor in the deepest reaches of Kentucky's Appalachian region normally don't concern people living in the Chicago area, which has its share of social ills.

But members of St. Mary of the Woods Catholic Church, on the city's Northwest Side, do care. They've built a heartfelt connection that culminated this winter in the recording of a CD of liturgical songs to be sold to support the church's annual trip to Harlan County, Ky.

It's the Contemporary Choir's first recording, and it's called "Alive With The Spirit."

Led by Park Ridge resident and choir director Marya Sakowicz Witt, the 25-member choir spent several months rehearsing and recording the collection at a Morton Grove studio. So far, the church has sold about 500 of the CDs, which sell for $15 each.

"Through the long process and the rehearsals, we never lost sight of what we were doing for the people in Appalachia," Witt said. "From the start, we were very committed to donating our proceeds to a worthy cause. It's been very meaningful for us."

Two years ago, Witt accompanied the parish's youth group to the tiny community of Cranks Creek in the heart of eastern Kentucky's coal country. Over a week, two dozen high school students and adult leaders built and repaired homes for the poor who live within the very remote Appalachian mountains.

Many families in Cranks Creek exist without the modern amenities of running water, indoor plumbing or heating. Some residents live in hollows--called "hollers" by locals--under mere lean-tos fashioned out of scrap metal and wood.

"It was an extremely humbling experience," said Witt, a marketing consultant. "You just can't imagine how poor these people are. But they're amazingly open and warm people."

"I had never seen poverty to that degree," added Terry O'Conner, also a Park Ridge resident and choir member. "These people had absolutely nothing."

The annual visits began nine years ago, when the church's youth minister wanted to expose younger parishioners to the struggles of the less fortunate. The minister had been a teacher at Loyola Academy, a Catholic high school in Wilmette where many of the students have gone to Cranks Creek on social missions, and brought the idea to St. Mary of the Woods.

Church leaders believed taking a group of youths into Chicago's inner city was too dangerous.

"We know there are problems closer to home," said parishioner James O'Malley, a travel agent who helped start the trip and has gone every year. "But we couldn't find a way to put the kids to work safely in Chicago. By bringing them to Kentucky, we're also taking them out of their element, away from their stereos and TVs."

The experiences have been eye-opening. O'Malley recalled meeting an elderly woman whose legs were scarred with burn marks.

"She had burnt all the skin off her legs because she had to sit so close to the fire in her house," he said. "There was no other heat in her home."

The church usually raises at least $15,000 each year to pay for the spring trip to Kentucky. This coming year, O'Malley hopes to raise $20,000 because of plans to build a home from scratch for a family of five in Cranks Creek.

For all they bring to the community's poor, parishioners say they are the ones who leave Kentucky having gained something.

"This CD is the choir's way of giving back to Appalachia for what Appalachia gave to them," O'Malley said. "I think they come back feeling renewed. You feel more content when you're working with people who have so much less than you do."

Rev. Greg Sakowicz, Witt's brother and the pastor of St. Mary of the Woods, agreed.

"I'm convinced the people have given more to me than I to them," Sakowicz said. "They've taught me about life through their simplicity and their joy amidst poverty."

----------

St. Mary of the Woods, 7033 N. Moselle Ave., can be reached at 773-763-0206.